"Square Enix Montreal is fully focused on mobile development of games some of which are related to the Hitman franchise. We look forward to sharing more details about these titles later this year."

The next core Hitman title had been expected to be developed by Square Enix Montreal, with future titles alternating between SE Montreal and IO Interactive.

However, a note on the LinkedIn profile of senior designer Richard Knight revealed that the game had been canned following Square's decision to shift the studio's focus onto mobile titles. All future AAA Hitman titles will now be led out of series creator IO Interactive.

Reasons for the game's cancellation have yet to be confirmed by Square.

The last Hitman title, Hitman: Absolution, launched on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC back in November 2012.